2 posts tagged “sticky&sweet”
I don't even know where to
Organization
I can't go by the issues here. First of course, the ticket sales, where the system just crashed totally because of the rush, and the office itself couldn't access their own network except for their HQ, while in the meantime the Gold tickets sold out at 3rd party vendors. All that after they supposedly prepared for such events, ie. to prevent them. Because I've had misfortune, I went for my ticket to the actual office...and as such, after waiting half day in the freezing cold and snow, I got home without any ticket. Not just me, but everyone, actually. At the same, a friend of mine who went to a bookstore (yep, inside location) got her ticket after like one hour. No comment. I got my ticket 2nd hand some days later, for almost double the price...only to find out like a month or two before the concert that LiveNation decided they'd print and sell some more Gold tickets. Yeah, talk about unfair. And then, there was the issue of the venue. About 3 weeks before the gig, they started messing with that too, changing it to an actual Stadium, of which the owners couldn't make an agreement with, because of some fuckin' soccer match and the grass. Even though the grass there is about 50yo and LiveNation would have agreed to actually REPLACE the entire thing with brand new, world class grass, they just said no...guess a CEO or some such wouldn't have gotten as much money as they'd've wanted. So finally it was taken back to Kincsem Park. But of course, that's not the end: the security basically didn't really seem like they knew what they were doing (and the fact that whoever appeared to be leader actually HAS voice, only turned out when he had to yell at the fans in the queue - when he was informing us about things, not even the second row could hear him); and the nice and slim police girls weren't really reassuring either. Thought, altogether there were so many policemen around there that I don't think I've ever seen at one place at one time. But, they could only act superior with that "Well, try it!" line, when we were to burst through the gates. Bunch o' morons. As for the fans: respect to those who were camping there since Thursday. No matter how fanatic I am, I can barely do with spending just one day there, so even two seems unbearable for me, not to mention three. And thanks for the idea of the little wristbands with numbers, to whoever came up with it: the first 200 ppl there had their numbers and could even go home mid-day and get back later on, it was arranged with the security that they'd only let that 200 in the foremost block of the barricades, everyone else was to wait further away. (But of course, that didn't go perfect either, after a while the latecomers started seeping through to our block, cuz there was only ONE guard between the two.) Still, even if we transformed into a simple group from the numbered queue, it was well worth it: around 3-4pm the oncoming mass of people, and the crowd/queue themselves just became rather scary, so it was a good thing we got there in the front. When we were finally let in, everyone started sprinting of course, slowed down only by the three further checkpoints we had to get through...and some, mid-way, when we actually realized we'll have to run about 7-800 meters (~765-875 yards), cuz they couldn't make a STRAIGHT way to the stage, it had to be a giant CURVE. From what I've gathered, I doubt anyone ever experienced such a distance in such a case. Next thing that turned the TOUR into a TRAGICOMEDY even more was the issue of drinking water. I mean, you know, it's summer and all, and we're first row right at the stage, being squeezed and pushed constantly for hours by the thousands of people behind us: no one in their right mind would think of fighting themselves through the crowd just to get to the food and drink stands which were totally on the side ends and at the entrance of the BRONZE (= farthest standing from the stage) sector, mainly after that sprint from the gates to there. And, apparently, people everywhere could consider that, and there were bottles of mineral water (actual packs too at most places) at the security guards between the fence and the stage, so that those there wouldn't dehydrate and faint. Not here tho, oh no. Guards and even the first aid station workers found the idea actually RIDICULOUS when we mentioned it to them, the ~lifesavers~ even complaining about how they're paid to save lives, not to distribute water (a: and preventing dehydration is not life saving, huh? b: wtf's with the attitude, they get their freakin' money whatever they do). But after a while, they apparently solved it, but the way they did...well, hilarious. We plastic glasses, and water itself arrived in plastic BUCKETs. And yeah, that's true, I didn't wanna believe it either and I saw it with my own two eyes. Talk about absurd? All in all, I'm not sure I ever wanna go to another concert in my own country...
The events
Arriving by the underground, you got a nice image of the place from the windows of the station: the huge stage from half-back-half-side, so much so that the otherwise giant trucks seemed like they were even less than matchbox cars, lined up behind the stage - certainly set the mood for what was coming. Finding the entrances was actually easy, but maybe that was only cuz of my instincts: I started off in the good direction and so just got there. When we were let in and started to run, at about mid-way I simply had to slow down, for two reasons. One was to catch my breath, and the other was to admire the stage. Last year in Rome I had a Hot Ticket, which meant that we could walk in from behind the stage, and thus the experience was just insignificant compared to this. But it's HUGE, and an utter MONSTER, and to see THIS monster IN MY OWN HOMETOWN...wow. I honestly had to take a moment to salute there. You really feel insignificant and absolutely minuscule when you get in the front row and look up above your head - and those enormous Ms only enhance that feeling, with whom (and what) they stand for. All in all, it gave me goosebumps, and not necessarily in the good way either, but somehow it still added up to a general good feeling. (Prolly the "hey, i'm here, it's here, it's all real and it's all happening" feeling.) I think about the first two rows were filled when suddenly everyone started screaming, and not without a reason either: M herself appeared on stage with a mic and dancers, in a baseball cap and some sort of tracksuit, with a scarf around her neck! I honestly never thought I'd see her like this up close and personal, just there to do some rehearsing! And it was an awesome appetizer, even then it was obvious that they all were in a good mood and really having fun. When it turned out that there was a guy there who came from New York (well, that's what they said anyway), M went "Oooh, high five, motherfucker!", and sat at the edge of the catwalk with two people holding her hips for support and reached out and gave the guy her guitar pick. Even just watching that was great.
Some "silence" and waiting followed that, until Paul Oakenfold appeared. I have to admit, "special guests" have always made me a bit nervous: bands are usually mostly unknown and thus we can't really go with their flows, not knowing their songs at all, and DJs occasionally put on a nice remix of some popular song but their own creations totally don't do anything to me. This time however, it was a pleasant disappointment. Paul played tracks I actually like and the remix versions were good too (Boom Boom Pow, just to name my favorite), then he put on even Celebration, which made the audience go real wild. In the meantime, the dancer guys appeared on stage too and danced and were goofin' off, visibly having a good time - idk how much of that was script, but I don't even want to, they created a real nice atmosphere for what everyone was grateful and cheered. And to end his set with I Gotta Feelin'... "I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night" - you bet!!!
When Paul said goodbye, we were waiting for M of course, but instead, crew staff appeared. Guess they were informed that rain was upcoming or probable, so they had to cover the stage with a felt-like material: that was quite odd with the tapes and all, and it took them about an hr, by the end of which we got quite frustrated. In fact, some ppl started booing and such, which I want to absolutely close myself off from. At that time, I didn't want to be a Hungarian, I mean, ffs ppl, would it have been better if someone had just slipped on the wet stage and broke their leg?! Wish some actually did some thinking before doing anything. By the way, one of the crew members had a hilarious text on his tee: "ALL ACCESS, ALL THE TIME, DON'T EVEN ASK". ... I want me one of those! lol In the meantime, another DJ was playing some music, which, according to the ppl around me was great, but personally I didn't at all like it...apart from the parts that really did hit the "RIDICULOUS BASS" level.
So to sum it up, the 5.30 gate opening turned into about 6.00; the 8pm beginning was right for Paul; the supposed-expected 9pm appearance of M became 10pm. I was a bit worried, I mean, if we out there got so frustrated, they must've been quite nervous too, back in there, waiting to get on stage already but not being able to, and that sort of spoiling the mood.
Well, it didn't.
Seeing the intro again already got me ecstatic, all of the backrdops are perfect and I couldn't mention one that I don't like at any tiny level. No matter the recordings all over the net, The Sweet Machine (Candy Factory would still suit better, says I) is just a different experience on those huge walls on stage. And of course its message: the sweets ARE here, the shop IS opening... And when M did appear, no effects of the delay were visible on them: still smiling like crazy, and the crowd too forgot about the delay. Whoever could watch the backdrop during Candy Shop, are sure to have gotten at least two cavities now in their mouths. I mean, I swear, it's just so freakin' explicit it's almost disgusting, and while my masochistic self totally likes it, my sober mind was voicing its objection quite violently. The tour sure could have got the "Stickier & Sweeter Edition" subtitle. And from then on was the first two "quarters" with their 11 songs that are just so together and so energetic, it makes you practically beg for a slow song to rest a bit already. And I'm 23 and she's 51, and I was just partying at one gig and she's doing everything at every show. Whoa...
They replaced Heartbeat with Holiday (with some Celebration in it), which I really welcomed: been to Confessions in 2006, been to S&S last year, and the song was omitted from both tours, while having been famous for always being in the setlist earlier. So it was awesome...not to mention the tribute to Michael Jackson: it's amazing how she can make it such an organic part of the show that it doesn't feel out of place and artificial. And that she DOES it, really, I mean, the whole remembrance act. It's one thing I really, really like about her. After that, Borderline was replaced with Dress You Up...I couldn't pick that one up as easily as Holiday, but I like that song nevertheless, and it wasn't a bad decision to include it, either. She's Not Me is still perfect, I absolutely adore how they edited the backdrop AND how they created the coreography too, with the costumes and all. (Plus, it was the silliest perk to see Madonna feelin' up her dancer's rear, just two arms' reach above my head...lol.)
My favorite parts, Devil Wouldn't Recognize You, Miles Away, La Isla Bonita: somehow they seemed much more intense than last time. Idk if it was the volume, or where I stood this time, or just the atmosphere and mood, but I was totally taken aback by those. In an absolutely good way. Then You Must Love Me...well, it was THE BEST! Hungarian fans planned a little surprise for our Queen, namely, there were texts like "HUNGARY LOVES YOU" and such printed on A4 papers, and distributed to many of the ppl there, with the instruction to hold it up during that song. And we did it. Guy came out to record the dozens of messages, and M had a smile plastered on her face all the way while singing. She actually let out a bit of chuckle when she got to the last word of the song, what with the papers and constant "WE LOVE YOU" yells around her. It was just so totally brilliant: we've been waiting for so long for her to come here with one of her shows, and now she did, and we were partying and applauding and yelling and singing each and every one of her songs from beginning to end, from the start of the show right til the Game Over. If all this love and enthusiasm couldn't convince her that she HAS to come back here, I don't know what would. Idk about others, but (mainly during Miles Away here) I can feel so much love radiating from her it's breathtaking - and it can't be described how good it feels that we managed to give at least some of that back to her.
Some of us were even singing Get Stupid, I was glad that they didn't remove that part, because it's really expressive and awesome. Just as much as Like A Prayer, but in a different way: the latter one is a spiritual experience, a journey, really. What with all the messages on the screens, in several different languages too, and the way she performs it, and the remix itself...I seriously get mad at whoever says that this version of the song is not at least as good as the original album one. It just makes one to want to get on their knees and say thanks to the higher power, no matter the names they call them, for simply EVERYTHING. ... I mean, if we weren't squeezed like sardines in a tin can, while pushed and stepped on by all the others around us, during a concert. About Frozen, well, I don't mind that one knocking Hung Up out, the latter has just been played so many times it got kinda boring...but didn't feel like there's much justice to Frozen itself. Don't get me wrong, of course Frozen is one of her bests and I love it too, but not this remix. It's somehow too strange, and by the time your brain processes what and how is actually being played and sung, it's already over, and you just spent a few minutes being short-circuited. Ray Of Light, on the other hand...I could never go with the jumping through the whole song act, simply don't have that much energy, mainly not in the middle of the crowd, where even balancing myself is different than otherwise. This time tho, I HAD to be jumping. Again, idk if it's the setting, or my mood, or her request, but somehow I couldn't stand still and just clap. Then of course, if you've been like that during Ray Of Light, you couldn't just stop before Give It 2 Me ended, either. It's still totally SICK (in a totally positive way of course), with the geek glasses and the arcade "game" and all...and a perfect closure to the candy-shop-turned-arcades. "Budapest, Hungary, thank you!" - well, dearest M, WE thank YOU!
Aftermath
Personally, I was praying for rain during the Rain / Here Comes The Rain Again video, because that would have been so beautiful and poetic. Well, just too good, I guess, those up in the skies could be thinking, because rain came a few tracks later, but it cames nonetheless, first just gently, then in the form of thousands of very tiny drops, and after a while downright pouring. (I'm not entirely sure when and how, but forgive me for that please, I wasn't really occupied with THAT, plus with the lights and all just barely above our head there, some of us were even a bit protected.) And the most fantastic thing was that it had absolutely zero effect on the mood: the whole crowd was going on with the singing and cheering and dancing as if it had just been a lukewarm summer night! By the time we got out of the Park, we were literally soaked to the skin, but no one seemed to care at all: I guess every drop of water was absolutely worth it.
At the tour merchandise shop, I left about half as much money as I originally anticipated. Sure the tees and caps were of the "normal" prices, but about everything else seemed almost underpriced, at least, I was expecting at least twice these pricetags, going by past experiences. So yeah, while no means budget in the common sense, when you look at what these stuffs are and how much they usually cost at these places, they weren't at all expensive.
And yes, the stage IS a MONSTER, they aren't using the latest and most modern stuffs there. It's spooky, almost really frightening to see what those MACHINES are capable of, but at least just as amazing as well. Sure, you can do an unplugged acoustic something, and the few hundred or maybe a thousand people will enjoy it, but it's entirely different, intimate, almost family-like experience, and definitely not about this kind of PROFESSIONALISM. Last year, if I had to sum the Sticky & Sweet Tour up in just a few words, I said: perfectly professional. This year, while I still stand by that opinion, I can't help but gape in awe at the Woman BEYOND the professionalism. The Woman who has some mind-boggling charisma, who can party harder than anyone else, and who has unbelievable emotional and spiritual depths. Whoever can tune their mind and listen to the songs during the partying, not only meaning the lyrics, but the musical instrumentation, the costumes, the dances, as well, to UNDERSTAND what they are about, can experience it. And it's not something that can be expressed in words either, you'll have to live it.
Madonna's coming to Hungary in August - no news. Ticket sales from today 10am - hooray. ... Hooray?
Well, after standing in the queue for like two and a half hrs, in the 1-2°C (frozen much?), at least my name was put on a list that might just be totally worthless. I mean, OF COURSE it happened (and no one believed me when I said it would): tickets went on sale, server crashed. Poor thing didn't have a chance against the roam of fans, apparently. The fun part? This was at the ticket office. Yep. And all them people there could say was "we have no idea", "we can't do anything", "we have no resources". Server crashed, and no one in the whole country (much less from outside, via the internet) could buy as much as one single ticket.
After a while, rumor started flying about the center having been able to sell some tickets - only problem was that the center was a bit farther away from the office I (and about two dozens of other ppl) had waited for about two hours, AND the queue THERE was said to have an end a few more streets away. So, take the time to go there and start from the back once again for a MAYBE, or stay on the spot and rather just wait that same time for the same MAYBE. I mean, if the official exclusive ticket office can't access the server, no one can, right? Supposedly.
However, by the time I got home, a friend of mine (who was all frantic about not even being able to get her ticket today, and it'll be prolly sold out by the time she'd get there) welcomed me with the message "I HAVE MY TICKET!". WTF? Yep, it turned out she was able to get her hand on a golden circle ticket (...No, she did not ask me if she could/should help. Thanks.) - in a goddamn BOOKSTORE. ... I was a wee lil bit annoyed. By the time I got there, only 4 ppl were in front of me, tho the woman doing it said they couldn't do shit for at least an hr. Nice. As I was standing and waiting (deja vu much?), a woman came in the store, asking casually - and that was when it hit my ears. Golden tickets are sold out. WTFH?!?!?! The ticket office can't access their own server and still tickets get sold out at 3rd party locations?! HOW. THE. FUCKIN. HELL. IS. THAT. EVEN. POSSIBLE?!
...So now, it's either true and idk what I'm gonna do (slit my wrists or some such? jk); or they had the brains to sort out who sells how many of each type, in which case my reservation is maybe still safe if that office really wasn't able to access their system all day - but frankly, after all this mess, I seriously doubt this.
*sighs* Why do the gods hate me so much?
